[2025 Myingyan Attraction] Travel Guide for Irrawaddy River (Updated May)

#springitinerary Looking for a weekend that’s equal parts adventure and time travel? Meet Chauk—the dusty, oil-stained heart of Myanmar’s dry zone where ancient pagodas rise from the desert and the tea is sweeter than the sunset. 🌵 First Impressions Stepping off the bus, Chauk hit me with a wall of heat (think: standing in a hair dryer) and the scent of deep-fried samosas, diesel, and something suspiciously like crude oil. The streets? A chaotic ballet of oil trucks, bicycle rickshaws, and the occasional goat crossing. 🤣 The “I Tried to Pet a Street Goat… and It Stole My Snacks” Moment At a roadside tea shop, I made friends with a particularly bold goat who: Nuzzled my hand (cute!) Snatched my bag of peanut brittle (less cute!) Trotted off like a bandit while the tea shop uncles laughed Lesson learned: Goats in Chauk are next-level hustlers. 🍛 Foodie Gold Breakfast was Chauk’s famous “bean soup”—a thick, garlicky broth loaded with chickpeas, crispy shallots, and enough chili to wake the dead. But the real star? A hidden alley stall selling deep-fried lentil cakes with tamarind sauce—crispy outside, fluffy inside, and dangerously addictive. Pro tip: Ask for "extra spicy"—they’ll respect you for it (or laugh at you, either way). 💎 Hidden Gem: The Abandoned Oil Refinery Everyone visits Shwegu Pagoda (and you should too—it’s golden and gorgeous). But the real adventure? Sneaking into the crumbling British-era oil refinery on the edge of town: ✔ Rusty pipelines snaking through the sand ✔ Graffiti from 1970s oil workers ✔ Epic sunset views over the desert Just watch out for security guards (or bribe them with samosas). ⏳ Weekend Itinerary (Desert Vibes Only) Day 1: Ancient & Industrial 6:00 AM: Sunrise at Shwegu Pagoda (golden stupa + desert views) 8:00 AM: Bean soup breakfast at Maung Maung Tea Shop 10:00 AM: Explore Chauk’s oil fields (like Mad Max but with more flip-flops) 4:00 PM: Abandoned refinery adventure (bring water + a camera) 7:00 PM: Night market feast (try the grilled goat skewers—revenge is sweet) Day 2: River & Ruins 7:00 AM: Boat ride on the Ayeyarwady (watch fishermen haul in their nets) 10:00 AM: Visit a pottery village (watch artisans shape clay by hand) 1:00 PM: Escape the heat with sugarcane juice and a hammock nap 4:00 PM: Chauk’s secret sunset spot (a dusty hill with 360° views) 💡 Survival Tips ✔ Hydrate like your life depends on it (it does) ✔ Wear closed-toe shoes (the sand gets scorching) ✔ Learn “Hna lone leh?” (“Is this delicious?”—gets you extra samples) Chauk isn’t pretty. It’s hot, loud, and smells like an oil rig. And I’d go back in a heartbeat. 🏜️ #DesertVibes

Before I came to hear that the Aye Yarwaddy was on the shore, it was the main reason why I chose to take the boat. But to be honest, this scenery is really disappointing. I thought that the beautiful word is a vocabulary like the lush and Qishan Junshi on the banks of the Lancang River. However, the Irrawaddy River is located in the Bagan Plain, and there are sporadic stupas on both sides. outer

The mother river in Myanmar, the beautiful Irrawaddy River, is like a wonderful picture, spread out next to the town. Walking into it seems to have entered a quiet paradise, away from the hustle and bustle.

The beautiful Irrawaddy River, the great mother river of Myanmar, flows quietly through the land of Myanmar and raises thousands of Burmese children. Its beauty is as charming as a layer of gauze. On the banks of the Irrawaddy River, watching the rivers flow quietly, the people on both sides of the strait live and work in peace, like a beautiful picture.